Living with a Paradox
by TheCatsTales
Summary: Tired, beaten, and the last remaining members of the Order, Harry and Snape are searching for help in Egypt. Just as they are beginning to give up hope, they encounter a family of unusual creatures, and are transported back in time. Can they do better the second time around? Time travel, Snape mentors Harry.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is what happens to me when I live off nothing but coffee and poptarts for a week. The plot bunnies attack. Having been unable to write anything for the past week because this idea kept nudging me, I finally caved and decided to write it.  
Yes, this is another time travel fic. Hopefully it will be different to other time travel fics, but I suppose you'll be the judge of that, not me. The two (possibly three, depending on how long the chapters get) chapters will be placed in the future, after which we will be traveling back to the days just before Harry starts Hogwarts, and going from there.  
I can make no promises about regular updates or anything of the like; I write for fun, and work it around everything going on in my life, but I never abandon a story.  
Stupidly long authors note is over. Reviews make me happy.

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The two men were exhausted. Weeks of searching had so far produced no meaningful results. Hounded by enemies as they chased something they were only half sure was real, they had been pushed to breaking point, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

"Do...do you think we lost them?" panted the younger of the two men, tilting his head in a vain hope of hearing anything through the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

"For now," answered his partner grimly, after several minutes of silence. Relaxing his grip on his wand, but not putting it away, the older wizard observed the younger with a faint sneer. "You know Potter, for Gryffindor's beloved Seeker, you're not in the best shape."

Potter snorted. "Yeah, well, for the Greasy Git of the dungeons you're coping well with the outdoors. I would have thought all this fresh air and light would have had you running screaming back to your cave," he retorted with a grin as older man arched an eyebrow.

Years ago, such an exchange would have resulted in lost house points, hours of detention, and anger and resentment on both sides. Now it seemed like a minute but constant oasis of sanity in a world that was rapidly falling apart. The Professor he had once mistrusted and despised was now one of his closest friends and allies, the petty grievances between them reduced to nothing more than old jokes, providing a sense of comfort rather than offence, as they called to mind a better time.

Recalling his school days was often all that kept Harry going; a desire to return the world to a time when lost house points and detentions with harsh potions masters were the biggest of a child's worries. When parents didn't have to worry that they would return from work to find their children missing, or bitten by werewolves, or staring soullessly at the sky with glassy eyes. He desperately wanted to return Hogwarts to the sanctuary she had once been for so many like himself. Sometimes that desire was almost greater than his desire to finally rid the world of Voldemort.

"Once you have caught your breath, we need to move on," said Snape, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "I do not imagine it will take long for the more...determined of the Dark Lord's servants to find us, once they notice our absence from that damnable pyramid."

Not moving from his hunched over position, with his hands on his knees, Harry took stock of their surroundings. When he had Disapparated, with Snape in tow, he had had no real destination in mind, only an incredible desire to get out of the pyramid that was swarming with Death Eaters, and a vague hope that maybe something would at least give them a hint as to where they really needed to be looking. Now he was standing at the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza, not sure whether to laugh or cry at he sight of yet another pyramid. At least this one wasn't trying to kill them yet, Harry thought wryly.

Six months ago Professor Trelawney had once again proved that, crystal balls and tealeaves aside, she was a true Seer. Her prophesy had spoken of an ancient power lying in Egypt that would be the only way for Harry to unlock his true potential and finally put an end to Voldemort. Of course, as with all prophesies, it had conveyed the message in the most convoluted way possible, and was about as easy to decipher as a sphinx's riddle - and Harry now had more experience with sphinxes' riddles than any sane person would want (well, except Snape, who seemed to love the chance to exercise the logic he claimed so many around him lacked, but who ever said Snape was sane?).

Between them, they had managed to become curse breakers to rival Bill Weasley. A talent borne by repeatedly breaking into and out of pyramids, and tombs, in a desperate quest to find some sort of answer to the prophecy.  
So far the had found nothing - no hints, no subtle suggestions about where they go next, no clues as to what the prophecy could mean. Nothing.

It was infuriating.

"Harry?" Snape's voice pierced his thoughts again as his heart rate began to return to normal and he got his breathing under control.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm - AH!" Harry exclaimed, a sharp pain lancing through his side as he attempted to straighten.

"Harry!" Snape's voice was low but filled with concern as he helped the younger man lean against the pyramid for support.

"Got hit by one a Yaxley's curses. It only nicked me, but hurts like a bitch," Harry ground out between gritted teeth as he fought down the pain. "I'm not going to be able to take us very far. Sorry," he added, blinking to try and clear his vision of black spots. The wizards were far too distracted to notice the runes forming on the stone above them.

_Deep inside the chamber a beast stirred. She could hear...voices. Raising her head she gazed across the room, watching as her sister padded from the chamber._

"Can you Apparate?" Severus frowned as he struggled to prevent the younger man collapsing into the sand. "Come on Harry! I can support you, but I need to know where we're going!"

"Huh?" Harry blinked blearily to chase away the grey gathering at the edge of his vision. "I...wha...what were you saying?" he slurred. His head suddenly felt so heavy. He could hear Severus talking, but the words weren't making sense.

"Damn it Harry!" Worry filled Severus' voice, even as he fought to keep it low, not wanting to draw attention to their position if anyone was nearby. He would give it one more try, he decided, to get a destination from Harry. If that failed, the he would Apparate to the last town they had been in, consequences be damed. With that thought in mind, he adjusted his grip on Harry, pressing the semi-conscious wizard against the stone more firmly in an attempt to keep him up right. Making sure to keep his voice slow and clear, he asked "Harry. Where. Do you. Want. To. Go?"

His head supported by the stone behind him, Harry squinted as the words washed over him, frowning in confusion as they took far too long to make any sense in his head. When he finally understood the question, he chuckled wearily, closing his eyes without offering an answer. He knew where he wanted to go; somewhere - anywhere - where he could rest for just five minutes without having to look over his shoulder in fear of attack. As he felt his consciousness fade he listened to the sound of Severus' frantic voice - who knew Sev could sound frantic? - and wished with all his heart that the two of them - the only remaining members of the Order - could have a chance to rest and recuperate before being expected to continue the almost futile fight their lives had turned into.

_The beast paused, the sound of soft pads on stone ceasing along with her movements. The whispers that had drawn her out the den she shared with her sisters had faded, replaced by the more insistent voice of the stone that surrounded her. The sound of soft pads on stone renewed, becoming steadily heavier as she followed the urgings of the stone - faster, faster, move faster! - altering her course away from the destination of the whispers, towards the source of the stone's voice._

"_Lumos_."

Severus raised his wand as the tip brightened, chasing away some of the complete darkness that surrounded him - _them_ he thought with relief, as he noticed Harry's still form lying next him.

Seconds ago they had been leaning against the Great Pyramid. Or at least, he thought it had been seconds ago. He wasn't entirely certain he hadn't lost consciousness along with Harry, as he had somehow gone from standing under the moonlit desert sky, to being in a pitch black stone tunnel, without remembering any sort of transition.

Speaking of Harry, he turned his attention to the unconscious young man. His chest was rising and falling shallowly as he breathed, and he had a strong, steady pulse, but other than that, he showed no signs of life. Whatever had happened had knocked him out cold, and wouldn't be waking any time soon. After checking over ever inch of the far-too-still wizard's body, Severus concluded that Harry was not injured in any obvious way, and there was nothing he could do but wait for him to regain consciousness.

_The steady rhythm of paws on stone echoed off the stone as the beast flew through tunnels that had not been stepped in for decades. Twisting and turning, she sped through the absolute darkness as though she walked this path every day. The voice of the stone drowning out even the sound of her steady breathing, guiding her, urging her on. Then she saw the dim glow of light. And the voice stopped._

Severus turned sharply as he heard a noise behind him.

He rose cautiously. There was no way he could disguise their presence - they were in a stone tunnel with no obvious exits, and Harry was in no condition to be moved rapidly anyway - but he didn't want to startle whoever - or whatever - it was that had made the noise.

He raised his wand a bit higher, letting the light spill as far down the corridor as possible.

Green eyes glinted back.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: it took slightly longer than expected to finish this chapter, be cause of exams, it on the plus side, it is long. Hopefully the next chapter will be done faster. Reviews make me happy :)

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Severus froze as the green eyes blinked at him and moved closer.

As the eyes edged steadily closer, the shadows surrounding them fell away, revealing tawny fur, a black nose, and a distinct feline head that any three year old, muggle and wizard alike, would recognise. Still half in shadow, the creature stopped, and sat down, tail curling around its paws. Severus remained frozen, hardly daring to breath as he watched the animal.

Regarding him from the edge of his wandlight was a lioness.

For several minutes the wizard and big cat watched each other closely. While Severus could not see any obvious signs of the animal being magic in nature, the manner in which it was regarding him was far too thoughtful - too calculating - for it to be an ordinary lioness. It took in everything, from the glowing tip of his wand, to the dusty shoes on his feet. He could see it judging; friend or foe? Enemy or no? Next meal or...?

It glanced down at Harry.

Severus stepped forward, placing himself more firmly between Harry and the rather unnerving lioness. As he moved the green eyes snapped back to him, but rather than containing the hunger or wariness he had expected they looked...thoughtful.

Without warning, the tawny feline turned and vanished back into the darkness, leaving a bemused Severus behind. For reasons he couldn't explain, even to himself, he suddenly felt like the big cat was not a threat. The stone tunnel, which had felt rather cool while he was engaged in a staring contest with an altogether too smart feline, suddenly felt comfortably warm. Warm enough for him to slip his jacket off - he and Harry had been wearing muggle attire while they roamed Egypt, in attempt to avoid notice from the magical community - and fold it up to place behind Harry's head as he sat back on his heels and debated what to do.

Quite frankly, he had no idea what was going on. They had clearly been transported to somewhere, but it hadn't felt like any form of magical transportation he had ever experienced. It hadn't felt like anything at all. Yet the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he had not been unconscious while the transportation had occurred. He remembered watching as Harry's eyes closed, and he slipped into unconsciousness. After that, everything went black. Yet he had remained on his feet, holding wand the entire time. The blackness had been caused by a sudden absence of light, not a sudden lack of consciousness.

Then there was the place they had been transported to. The small area he could see in the wandlight reminded him of the many pyramids he and Harry had visited. The stone looked the same, and the meticulous care taken to ensure that the walls of the tunnel were perfectly straight and smooth was strongly reminiscent of the pyramids, but when Severus looked closer, he could see no gaps or seams where blocks of stone were connected. It looked like the entire tunnel had been carved out of one huge slab of stone. The magic in the tunnel felt different too.

There are many different types of magic, and each felt different. Magic preformed by wizards was more structured than that preformed by any other race of magic users (with the possible exception of house elves), because each spell they use has a specific result. The magic of a creature such as a dragon was almost completely wild; as unpredictable and temperamental as the creature that wielded it. In their travels, the two wizards had encountered many different types of magic, and had rapidly learnt how to attune themselves to it, how to read it so as to be able to predict what sort of creature they were going to encounter. Despite his broad range of experience, Severus had never come across magic that felt quite the same as the magic he could feel now. It held aspects reminiscent of many different creatures; the same ferocity of the dragons, the unpredictability of the sphinx, yet an intelligence like the goblins.

Severus could feel the magic wrapping around him. Like goblin magic, he could feel it reading him, cutting through any pretences, to judge his intentions. Unlike goblin magic, which he was very familiar with thanks to years of visiting Gringotts, he could not predict how this magic would react to anything he did. When he had first arrived, the magic had been indifferent, reading him, but doing nothing. Then it had suddenly warmed to him for no reason, adjusting to make him more comfortable, much the same way Hogwarts did when she was glad to see someone. However, despite the current friendliness of the magic, Severus did not want to do anything that could present him in a threatening light, for he had no doubt that it could turn on him in an instant, and he had no desire to see what the wards would do to eliminate a threat.

His musings were interrupted by the clink of glass rolling across stone.

Glancing down, he saw a glass vial resting by his foot.

In the darkness, he heard a rustling sound, and then the lioness stepped forward into light. She came closer this time - just far enough into the circle of light that it was possible to see her clearly - before she sat down and watched him again. She had the same far-too-intelligent look in her eyes that she had had before, and it did not take a genius to deduce that she was probably one of the creatures - whatever they were - that produced the magic that warded the tunnel.

Carefully, he bent to retrieve the bottle, keeping one eye on the lioness at all times. His caution, however, seemed unnecessary, as the lioness merely gave him an amused looked, and began washing her paw, pointedly paying him no attention.

Uncorking the vial, he sniffed it, and was surprised to smell the familiar - if unpleasant - scent of restorative potion. Where the hell had this come from?

He glanced down at Harry. The man needed the potion, but Severus didn't know if it could be trusted. It had just been delivered by a lioness for Merlin's sake!

"Drink."

His head snapped up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. He had heard a voice, but the only conscious being in the tunnel besides himself was the lioness. A lioness that was looking almost as surprised as he was.

The look of surprise on the lioness' face rapidly dissolved into curiosity.

"English. That is...interesting." This time, Severus had no doubt that the lioness had indeed spoken. She regarded him curiously, before her gaze dropped to Harry. "He needs to drink that. It will help him recover consciousness. It is a..."

"Restorative potion." Severus finished. The lioness raised an eyebrow, regarding him with a look that seemed to ask if him was being deliberately obtuse, or if he really was just dim.

"Indeed. If you know what it is, why haven't you used it yet?"

The potions master hesitated. Telling the lioness that he didn't trust her didn't strike him as a wise thing to do, particularly when she had apparently fetched the potion especially for him (well, for Harry), and he could detect no obvious signs that the potion was anything more than it appeared to be.

He looked down at Harry again, then glanced at the lioness, who was watching him closely, all pretences of paw-washing long gone. When Severus didn't reply or show any signs of administering the potion, she gave him a considering look.

"It isn't poisoned you know. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already know. And there would be much more blood on the walls." The lioness tilted her head as she spoke.

"That isn't entirely reassuring," Severus answered before he could stop himself. The lioness made an odd growling sound, before replying;

"Indeed." Then her tone suddenly became more serious. "I understand your reluctance to give him the potion - kind of anyway, though I do wonder what brought it about - but believe me when I say I mean neither of you harm. Joking aside, if I had plans to harm you, I would not bother healing you first."

Silence fell once again as Severus considered his options. There really weren't many. He could either choose to risk it, and give Harry the potion, and decide where to go from there if he woke up. He could decide to not give Harry the potion, and hope he woke anyway, and preferably before the lioness or the wards became impatient. Or he could not give Harry the potion, and try to move him while he was unconscious, which wasn't really an option at all. The more he thought about it, the more the first option looked best. Refusing the potion may offend the lioness, and wizard or not, that was something he did not want to do. Besides, the lioness' words had reassured Severus more than he had anticipated.

It wasn't like they really had anything else left to risk anyway; they were stranded Merlin knew where, with only a talking lioness for company, and the imminent arrival of Death Eaters a very real possibility.

Offering a silent prayer to whomever may be listening, he pulled Harry into an upright position and tipped the contents of the vial down his throat.

Several tense seconds passed before Harry stirred and groaned.

"Sev?" he slurred, squinting in the wandlight.

"I told you the potion was safe," said a voice in Severus' ear, almost making him drop Harry as he twisted his upper body so fast he almost gave himself whiplash for the second time that day. While he had been occupied, the lioness had moved closer, and was now sitting only inches away, looking amused.

"Uh, did I hit my head or something?" Harry asked, drawing Severus' attention back to him.

"Not as far as I am aware. Why? Does it hurt?" Severus asked, concerned.

"No, not really, but I'm pretty sure lions can't talk," he groaned, pushing himself upright and resting his back against the wall. "Where are we?"

Severus opened his mouth to reply, then closed it swiftly when he realised he had no answer. Warm breath tickled the back of his neck as the lioness behind him sighed.

"Just my luck to end up with the clueless ones," she grumbled. She rolled her eyes as the two wizards frowned at her in confusion. "You are in the House of Bastet." Another confused frown. "Also known as the Great Pyramid." The two wizards exchanged a bemused look. "Oh, come on! The Pyramid! You know, big pointy thing? In the desert? One of the wonders of the world?"

"Yes, thank you, we know what the Pyramid is," responded Severus dryly. "What we do not understand is how we got here."

Now it was the lioness' turn to look confused.

"How could you not know how you got here? You _asked_ to be here!"

"No, we did not."

"You must have, otherwise you wouldn't have made it through the wards," insisted the lioness.

"I think I would remember it if either one of us had asked to enter the pyramid, considering we have been doing nothing but break into pyramids for countless weeks!" sneered Snape. "Neither of us asked anyone or anything for access to the pyramid!"

"Oh, so maybe you just wished really, really hard," snorted the lioness disbelievingly.

"Um...maybe?" ventured Harry from where he was propped against the wall. Seeing his old potions master arguing with a lioness about whether or not they had broken into a pyramid was quite surreal, even for him, and he wasn't entirely sure he wasn't still unconscious.

"What do you mean 'maybe'?" the lioness asked, looking down at him with a frown, while Severus stood next to her looking equally confused.

"Well, I didn't actually wish I was in the pyramid, but..." he trailed off, releasing how ridiculous his explanation sounded even in his own head. What was he going to be say? 'I hoped I would be safe when I passed out'? His lack of response didn't seem to trouble the lioness though. She had suddenly cocked her head to one side, and seemed to be listening to something, nodding occasionally, even though there was no noise to be heard.

"Unbelievable!" she snorted suddenly, before peering closely at the two wizards. "You two really _are_ clueless!"

Severus looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows. Harry just shrugged. He had no idea what the outburst was about either.

"Well, there's no point in us just sitting here all day. Can you walk?" the lioness sighed, having apparently reached some sort of conclusion. A conclusion she apparently didn't feel like sharing.

"Um, I think so," Harry said, testing his balance carefully as Severus helped him get to his feet. The potion he had been given must have contained some sort of pain reliever, he mused, as his ribs protested slightly at his movements, but with nowhere near the same incapacitating intensity he had experienced earlier. "I can't go very fast though," he added after a couple of steps.

"That's fine. We'll go at your speed. Let me know if you want to stop." The lioness stood on one side of him while Severus took the other, and the trio set off. The lioness led them confidently, never hesitating before she chose which path to follow, even though each corner looked the same as the last.

"Did anybody check you for concussion?" the lioness asked suddenly, after a few moments of silence. "Because even if you don't remember hitting your head, we should check. The wards can be pretty rough sometimes."

"You have been with me ever since he woke up, how was I supposed to check him for concussion?" Snape growled, more annoyed at himself for not thinking of it first, than he was at the lioness for asking a question she already knew the answer to. Sudden transportations and talking lions were a shock, but that was no reason to neglect the care of his only surviving friend.

"Fair point," conceded the lioness with a nod of her head, before switching her attention to Harry, who was walking slightly unsteadily between them. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Harry James Potter," Harry responded immediately. The question had been asked so forcefully that he didn't even stop to consider whether or not telling the lioness his real name was a good idea.

"What is your date of birth?"

"Thirty-first of July, nineteen eighty." Harry was vaguely aware of Snape glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. _Oh well, in for a knut, in for a galleon. _thought Harry wryly. _I can't possibly get in more trouble now._

"What wood is your wand made out of?"

"Holly."

The lioness nodded, then stared at Snape. "Well?" she prompted after a few seconds of silence.

"Well what?" snapped Snape, irritated that Harry had so freely given away information about himself. Admittedly it was fairly public knowledge, but that was no reason for the young man to be so careless.

"Was he right?"

"Obviously."

"Oi, Snarky, it's not like I know who either of you are. Forgive me if I don't immediately know the life story of everyone I meet."

Harry was once again struck by the surrealness of the situation he was in. Snape was arguing with a talking lion, who's attitude would suggest she had known them for years, even as her words pointed out how little she knew about them. It was bizarre. However, there was something niggling at the back of Harry's mind.

"You don't know who I am?" He winced as the words left his mouth, realising how arrogant they sounded. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant...most people I meet know who I am. Even here, in Egypt. I suppose it's because of...well, everything. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know." Harry's eyes widened as the last sentence slipped out. "No offence! I didn't-"

"Mean to say it out loud?" The lioness looked amused. "Don't worry about it. I'm not offended. I _do_ live under a rock - a lot of rocks, organised into a pointy shape."

"You've never heard of Harry Potter?" Snape asked, looking suspicious. Voldemort had long since taken over Britain, and his reign had spread throughout Europe, and was beginning to leak into the rest of the world. Everybody they met knew who Potter was, to some extent. "The Boy Who Lived? The Chosen One?" he prompted further, ignoring Harry's spectacular blush as the titles the young wizard had been given. If the cat hadn't heard of Potter, surely she must have at least heard one of the ridiculous names the boy had been given?

"The Boy Who Lived?" the lioness repeated, looking thoughtful. "Sounds kind of familiar. Something to do with curses, wasn't it? A couple of decades ago? I remember a few of my sisters getting excited about it. Some wizard was causing trouble, and tried to kill a kid, who didn't die. Or something like that wasn't it?"

"'Some wizard was causing trouble'?" repeated Harry faintly. "Slaughtering thousands of people only merits a 'causing trouble'? What do you call returning from the dead to repeat the act then?"

"Being a pain in the arse," countered the lioness without missing a beat. "Or emulating my mother," she added thoughtfully a second later.

Grinning, Harry turned to Severus. "Do you think we should tell Vold-" Harry quickly corrected himself when he saw Severus' scowl, "Er, sorry. Do you think we should tell You-Know-Who that he is just being a pain in the arse next time we see him?"

"Why not, it's not like he could hate you more than he already does," replied Severus dryly.

"Why does he hate you?" asked the lioness curiously, glancing between the wizards.

"Because every time he tries to kill me, he fails miserably. It's not just me he hates though. He hates Sev almost as much. Old Snake-Face doesn't like being betrayed," Harry said in a tone that didn't quite make it to casual. "The fact that i'm the prophesied killer of You-Know-Who may have something to do with it as well," he added in that same not-quite-casual voice.

"Potter!" snapped Severus before the lioness could reply.

"Snape," Harry retorted with a cheeky grin that caught Severus off guard. Grinning like that knocked years off the young wizard, making him look like the teenager he hadn't had much chance to be. For second, Severus thought about the kind of childhood Harry should have had, one were he wasn't expected to fight off dark wizards. He quickly shook off the thoughts; this was not the time to regret could-have-beens.

"Are you planning on divulging all your secrets to every stray animal we meet?" Severus asked, his tone stern, but not biting as it had been a second ago.

"Severus!" spluttered Harry, "you can't say that when she's standing right there!" he said, throwing an embarrassed glance in the lioness' direction. The lioness, however, didn't seem to be paying any attention to Harry's spluttering, or the indirect insult.

"Severus Snape," she said slowly, looking at the stern wizard with renewed interest. "That wouldn't happen to be the same Severus Snape that became the youngest potions master in centuries, and inventor of the Wolfsbane potion, would it?"

Both wizards stared at her.

"How did you know that?" Harry finally asked. Severus still didn't seem to be recovered from the shock of his name being known by a lioness who didn't know who Harry Potter was.

"I read about it in a potions journal - it's hardly a secret. It was decades ago now, but it was quite a big thing in the potions world at the time." The lioness made a movement that looked vaguely like a shrug. "He pops up every now and then, usually with another brilliant invention or improvement. Not to mention the few papers he's written; hardly anyone can do their own research without referencing his." Harry cast an amused glance at Severus, who was looking a little stunned.

"I didn't know I was so well known," said Severus weakly. "Obviously the Wolfsbane potion is known by any dunderhead who has ever picked up a half decent potions book, but the rest of my work has been fairly minor."

"'Fairly minor' my tail," snorted the lioness. "You more than halved the number of ingredients needed, and doubled the effectiveness of several pain relieving potions. Then there is the array of nervous system potions you invented. Most people wouldn't touch the CNS with a ten foot broom, but you produced at least ten different potions, completely out of the blue, and they even heal moderate damage from the Cruciatus curse. And i've not even mentioned the theory papers you've written."

Harry sniggered at the normally reserved potions master, who was blushing and looking very uncomfortable at having his work praised, and received a glare in return.

"Don't give me that look," said Harry, still grinning vindictively. "You're always making fun of me and my fame. Now it's your turn."

"I would hardly say i'm famous," said Severus, rolling his eyes.

"No, of course not. It's not like a big cat that lives in a pyramid knows your work back to front or anything," teased Harry, delighting in one of the few opportunities he had to really get under the potions master's skin.

"Having one person who admires my work does not make me famous," insisted Severus.

"True," said the lioness before Harry could make another comment, "but I'm not the only person who knows your work. I don't think people can even achieve a potion mastery anymore without knowing at least some of your work."

"Don't exaggerate," said Severus, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not. You may not have published many theory papers, but those you did write touch on some of the most fundamental aspects of potions that it's amazing nobody bothered to examine them before. That paper you wrote about sourcing and preparing ingredients practically became my bible when it was published. Though you should have pointed out that genetic anomalies in an animal will cause ingredients harvested from them to display some unusual effects. I discovered that by myself when I combined albino asp venom with unicorn horn and it blew up in face."

"I wasn't aware that variations in the...genetics did you call them? I wasn't aware they made any difference to the ingredients. It is not something I've encountered before."

"You don't know what genes are?" asked the lioness, a little incredulously. "And you said I've been living under a rock! Anyway, I wasn't sure of it myself at first, I just thought that asp venom reacted badly with unicorn parts, so I just shelved the potion I was working on and counted it as another 'doesn't work' idea. Then I was bored, and wanted something to blow up," Harry snorted at the scowl of disapproval Snape gave the lioness; melted cauldrons were not a laughing matter to Severus Snape, "so I thought what the hell, let's do it, and made the potion again. Only difference is, I no longer had venom from an albino asp, just an ordinary one. When I added it, nothing happened; the potion was fine. Then I checked a few things, and found that asp venom is not supposed to react violently with unicorn horn, hair, or any other parts of a unicorn, but that there had been some isolated incidents like mine. That caught my curiosity, and I decided to experiment. A few years and several melted cauldrons later, I came to the conclusion that the asp being albino was the only explanation for the explosions."

Severus was quiet for a moment, then asked a question Harry only understood half of. Something about energy absorption properties. The lioness seemed to understand though, and answered with an equally unintelligible string of words. Harry groaned as he was suddenly surrounded by potions talk, considering himself lucky if he understood one word in five.

"Aren't we going in circles?" Harry asked several minutes later, halting the potions conversation by voicing the question that had been floating around his brain for the last few minutes. "The last six turns we made were left turns, and the tunnels all feel the same length."

"No, we are not going in circles. Or at least, not in the manner you mean," replied the lioness, amusement clear in her tone. "If you had really been paying attention, you would have noticed that the path slopes downhill slightly. We are four levels lower than we were when I found you; the paths spiral downwards. Besides, the fifth left turn looked nothing like the first."

Not really seeing a point in responding, Harry simply nodded.

Thankfully, the potions talk had ceased, and wasn't showing any signs of starting up again. While he didn't have the same hatred for the subject that he had had in Hogwarts, he enjoyed listening to Severus waffle on about it about as much as Severus enjoyed him talking about Quidditch.

After another hour or two of walking - or at least that is what it felt like to Harry, but it was hard to judge the passing of time when there was no natural light - whatever energy boost the potion had provided suddenly wore off. It was only thanks to Snape's honed reflexes that he managed to avoid landing flat on his face.

"Do you remember me telling you to say something if you wanted to stop for a rest? That was so that we could avoid this situation," said the lioness, looking down at where he lay sprawled on the floor.

"Do you know what is wrong with him?" asked Severus as he struggled to manoeuvre Harry into a sitting position against the wall. Not an easy task, as Harry's body seemed to have realised a sudden ambition to imitate jelly, and would promptly collapse when left unsupported.

"It looks like a rather severe reaction to the restorative potion. There are no long term effects, he just needs to rest up."

"Restorative potions do not have side-effects like this. If anything, their side-effects tend towards hyperactivity and temporary muscle spasms. Not sudden exhaustion and complete muscle relaxation," snapped Severus, watching Harry worriedly.

"That is true for _human_ restorative potions. The potion he took was not strictly made for human consumption. Not that it has any bad effects on humans!" The lioness added hurriedly as Severus glared at her. "The potion only differs very slightly from the ones your used to, to make it more effective for our kind. Unfortunately that alters the side effects to sluggishness and possible temporarily weakened limbs - and I don't think the medics see that as much of a problem really. For something of this magnitude though," the lioness continued, flicking her tail in Harry's direction as she spoke, "the person ingesting the potion would already have to be severely magically and physically drained."

Snape took a moment to process this information, filing away his questions (a big one being 'how do you make potions when you lack opposable thumbs?') to ask later. Only one question was important right now.

"So what do we do with him?"

"Right now, let him lie there for a while, until he regains control of his limbs. It should only take ten minutes for him to be able to sit up," the lioness said, resolutely ignoring Snape's snort as she said 'only'. "He won't be doing any more walking today though. It'll be a good couple of hours before he can stand unaided, never mind walk."

"How much further do we have to go? I could always carry him," offered Snape. He had no idea where exactly they were going, but he presumed it was some sort of living area, as he found it unlikely that the lioness-like creature spent all her time roaming the tunnels of the ancient pyramid.

"In all honesty? I don't really know. I'm not used to walking at this pace. If it was just me, we would have been there over an hour ago. Humans are so much slower; we're barely even halfway," the lioness said, sounding distracted. For some reason, the lioness was alternating between staring at Harry, and looking off down the corridor.

"Where are we going anyway? Surely there is somewhere closer that we can go to?" Severus said, frowning.

"We're going to my quarters, and no, there isn't anywhere else can go. Not at the moment anyway." The lioness was now looking thoughtfully at the two wizards, sizing them up. "However, once Harry can stand, I think I have a solution. Have either of you ever ridden a horse?"

Snape shook his head, but Harry looked up. "Well, I've never ridden an actual horse, but I've ridden a hippogriff, a threstral, and a centaur once, and they're all horse-like. Not that it would be a good idea to say that to a centaur's face."

The silence stretched for a few seconds.

"When on earth did you ride a centaur?" asked Severus incredulously, once he had gotten over his shock and found his voice again.

"Er, first year in the Forest," Harry replied, wondering if Snape could devise a punishment for something that had happened years ago.

"And what, Mr. Potter, were you doing in the Forbidden Forest as a first year?" Snape asked silkily.

"I was in detention!" said Harry defensively. "We had to go with Hagrid to find out what was killing the unicorns."

"And what part of this meant you had to ride around on centaurs?"

"Er, well I was kind of attacked by You-Know-Who..." Harry broke off as Severus snorted.

"Of course you managed to turn a simple detention into a life threatening situation. It is a talent that only you posses, Mr. Potter."

As Harry opened his mouth to defend himself - not actually knowing what he would say, because he really did seem to able to turn any situation into something dangerous - the lioness interrupted.

"As fascinating as this is, i'd like to get to my quarters sometime before the end of this year. So if you are quite finished?" The lioness arched an eyebrow at them. Severus almost snorted. Before today, he hadn't even known that lions could arch their eyebrows, and now he was on the receiving end of the look he used to give misbehaving first years!

"Sorry," said Harry sheepishly. "You were saying something about horses?" As he spoke, he shifted a little on the ground, relieved to find that his limbs were beginning to respond, and no longer felt like jelly when he tried to make them support him.

"Yes. What I was trying to say was that I have a way for us to get to my quarters without it taking countless hours, but you'll probably find it rather weird."

"So? What do you suggest?"

"Ride me."

Harry and Severus exchanged a look. While they didn't doubt that the lioness was indeed faster than them, there was also no doubt that the lioness was too small to carry one of them, never mind both of them. However, neither of them wanted to be the one that informed the lioness of the hole in her logic.

"I'm an invalid," Harry said, smirking at Snape.

"I thought you were a Gryffindor?" Snape retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm taking your advice and listening to my inner Snake more often."

"More like your inner Hufflepuff," snorted the older wizard. The lioness just looked between the two with a bemused expression.

"I'm sensing there is some kind of issue?" the lioness said, looking at the two wizards like they had both gone mad. Harry and Severus traded glares for a few seconds, before Harry finally sighed (pointedly ignoring Severus' smirk).

"It's just that you're a bit...well..._small_," Harry said hesitantly. The lioness blinked for a moment, as thought this had never occurred to her. Then she made the odd growling sound that the wizards were beginning to interpret as laughter.

"Well, yes, I am small right now. Obviously if I was going to carry you, I would be bigger," she said as though it was the simplest thing in the world. The two wizards exchanged looks again.

"Oh, what the hell, why not?" said Harry, rolling his eyes. "It's not like this day could get any weirder."

For the first time in months, Severus seriously considered cursing Harry. How many times had something gone horrendously wrong when the bloody Gryffindor had said something so stupid?

"Excellent!" declared the lioness as she got to her feet. "Once I crouch down, Severus, you lift Harry onto my back, and then get up behind him. Once you're both on, I'll bind you so you don't slip. Incidentally, that means that you do not need to hold on with a death grip, and I really prefer not to have my fur pulled, thank you very much." The lioness looked at them sternly, reminding Harry of the look a certain feline animagus used to give him when he got into trouble at school. "Any questions? No? Excellent. Now don't freak out."

Before either of them could ask what they were not to freak out about, the lioness shook herself and _grew_.

Though she remained the same tawny colour that she was as a lioness, her fur became thicker and coarser. By the time she had stopped growing, her shoulder stood at chest height for Harry, and her build was stockier than it had been as a lioness. What really caught the wizards' attention, however, was the _teeth_.

Less than a foot away from Harry's face were two very long, very white teeth.

"I..you...what _are_ you?" Harry finally managed to stammer out. The lioness (or whatever she was now) rolled her eyes.

"I did say don't freak out. My current form is what you humans would probably call a sabre-tooth cat. Or you might know it better as sabre-tooth tiger, but I have no idea why, as tigers and sabre-tooth cats aren't really related, but then humans are just odd sometimes." The lioness' voice was deeper than it had been previously, but it still held the casual friendliness that it had before, which the wizards found reassuring. Severus was now immensely glad he had chosen not to attempt anything earlier.

"Well, if you're ready, we may as well get going," continued the giant feline, dropping into a crouch.

It took a few minutes, but Severus finally managed to manoeuvre Harry onto her broad back, before climbing up himself. As they settled into a relatively comfortable position, a growl rumbled through the lioness, startling them.

"Don't panic, i'm just making sure you're not going to fall off," the lioness chuckled as she stood. "Oh, and Severus, you'll need to put your wand away if you don't want to lose it. I'm afraid we'll be in the dark for this trip."

Somewhat reluctantly, Severus put his wand back into the wand holster strapped to his forearm, plunging the tunnel into absolute darkness. While the idea of riding an over-sized feline through a pyramid in the dark did not really appeal to him, the idea of losing his wand was worse. Having an extra hand free to (gently) grip the lioness' fur didn't hurt either. Despite the lioness' reassurances that she had bound them, making it impossible for them to fall, Snape was not feeling particularly secure. It was bad enough riding brooms, without getting onto a living, breathing creature that could think for itself.

The lioness started slowly, simply walking along, albeit at a faster pace than they had been moving before, giving the wizards time to adjust to the feeling of her muscles moving underneath them. At first the wizards were disorientated. The smooth movement of the lioness almost made it feel like they were stationary, and with no sight to help them, the sudden changes of direction were disconcerting.

Once the wizards had become more comfortable, the lioness sped up. She moved into a rapid trot, before dropping into an almost flat out run. She was covering distances that would have taken hours on foot in a matter of minutes.

It took the wizards a while to realise that the tunnels were gradually beginning to lighten around them. When they had first set out, they had been in complete darkness, unable to even see their hands in front of their faces. Now they could vaguely make out the outline of the lioness' head and ears as she ran. The further they traveled, the lighter the tunnels became, until they could eventually see well enough to realise just how fast hey were moving. Harry, who was coping slightly better with the speed thanks to his years of flying the firebolt, was fairly certain they were now in an inhabited area. Some of the blurs they passed looked like people and animals.

After a surprisingly short amount of time - it couldn't have been more than an hour - the lioness began to slow down, until she came to a stop in what appeared to be a dead-end tunnel.

"Where are we?" asked Harry, as Severus helped him down off the lioness' back. As soon as both wizards were on the floor, the lioness shook herself, reverting back to her lioness size and shape.

Without waiting for the wizards to catch up, the lioness moved to the end of the tunnel, and the wall with her nose. Ripples formed around the point where her nose had touched, until the stone seemed to melt away, revealing a door, which swung open.

"We are at my quarters," the lioness said over her shoulder, finally answering Harry's question. "Do you need some help?" she asked, finally noticing that Severus was half-carrying Harry as they made their way over to the door.

"How kind of you to offer, now that we've done the bulk of the work," said Severus caustically.

"I'd point out that I happen to be the one who did most of the walking to get here, but I'm sure that doesn't count," replied the lioness with an eye roll. Stepping through the door, she continued over her shoulder, "Just stick him in one of the chairs, unless that is too much for you to cope with after doing so much work."

Gripping a chuckling Harry, Severus followed the lioness through the door, and stopped in surprise as he saw the room. He wasn't sure exactly what he had been expecting, but it definitely hadn't been this. The room looked more like a Hogwarts common room, than the living area of a big cat.

The room was done in forest colours, with deep green rugs made out of a material that Severus didn't recognise spread across the stone floor. Running along one wall was a huge desk that was covered in paper, parchment and a variety of objects, some of which were familiar, and some which neither wizard recognised. Under the desk was a muggle office chair. Opposite the desk, there was a collection of green and brown leather armchairs and sofas, clustered around a large coffee table, in front of a hearth. Directly opposite the doorway the wizards were currently standing in, there was an archway leading to more rooms. To one side of the archway stood a large drinks cabinet, and to the other a large bookcase. Nowhere in the room was there any sign that any kind of animal lived here.

Shaking off his surprise, Severus half-dragged Harry over to one of the armchairs. After making sure the younger wizard wasn't going to slide to floor in a boneless heap the second he let go of him, Severus collapsed into one of the other armchairs, utterly exhausted.

"Normally I'd suggest medical attention first, but neither of you appear to be dying, and I think you'd just be cranky, so we can do all the poking and prodding tomorrow," the lioness said, appearing the archway. "Do you want to eat while I set up a room for you?"

"Food sounds fantastic," said Harry enthusiastically. Being on the run from great forces of evil doesn't leave many opportunities to eat a decent meal, and the nutrient potions they had been taking had run out a while ago. While they were not quite starving yet, they were malnourished, and so any offer of food was welcome.

"Ok, what do you want?" asked the lioness, glancing between the two wizards.

"That would depend on what there is," replied Severus rolling his eyes. "We'll be here all night if we just keep naming dishes until we happen across something you have available."

"Believe me, it will be a lot quicker if you tell me what you want, than if I name everything we have. If you could have anything at all right now, what would it be?"

"Ice-cream," responded Harry before he even had time to think about it. He blushed as the lioness chuckled.

"Okay, but I think you need a main before you plan dessert."

"Er, yeah..." mumbled Harry, still blushing furiously.

"As you still can't sit upright without assistance, I think soup would be the best option right now, Potter," said Severus, deciding to intervene before Harry made any more of a fool of himself. Keeping his mouth shut, Harry nodded.

"Soup followed by ice-cream," said an amused looking lioness. "It'll be here in a minute. Just shout if you need anything," she continued, before disappearing through the archway.

A few seconds after the lioness disappeared, two trays with large bowls of vegetable soup and rolls of bread appeared on the table, along with a pitcher of iced water and two glasses. After a small argument in which Harry insisted he could feed himself, and Severus told him it was his own fault if he spilled his food everywhere, the two began eating. It didn't take long for the soup and rolls to vanish, and the tray to refill with ice-cream, much to Harry's delight.

"Are you two nearly finished?" the voice of the lioness broke the silence that had descended when the food appeared.

Setting his empty bowl down, Severus turned in the direction of the voice.

"Who are you?" he asked sharply, jumping to his feet, wand in hand. Where he had been expecting to see the tawny feline stood an amused looking young woman.

"I'm Bast. I'm still the same person as before, this is just my...human form I guess you'd call it. There are some things that it is easier to do with opposable thumbs," said the woman, her voice the same as the lioness'.

"You're an animagus?" said Severus, still not lowering his wand.

"No. That would require being human to start with, which I am not. I'm a paradox, which I'll happily explain to you, but could we do it tomorrow? It's getting late, and your rooms are ready now. If it makes you feel any better, I stand by what I said when I gave you the potion; if I wanted you dead, you already would be," said Bast, seemingly unfazed by the wand pointing at her chest.

Slowly Severus lowered the wand. Once again he had the odd feeling that Bast was not a threat.

"I'll accept that for now, but tomorrow I want an explanation of what the hell is going on," he said as he finally put his wand away.

"Fair enough," agreed Bast with a smile. "Do you want me to show you your room now? I'm afraid you're sharing for the next couple of nights. Most of the rooms in here are completely uninhabitable at the moment."

Secretly Severus was glad they would be sharing a room. He would feel much more comfortable being able to keep an eye on Harry while they were in an unknown place,than he would with his own room, not that he would be admitting that to anyone. Helping Harry up off the chair, they followed the young woman back through the archway.

"The bathroom is the second door on the left. The first door on the right leads to the kitchen - you can help yourself to food and stuff. If you need me at any point, you can just shout, or you can find me either in the room we've just come from, or in the room with the silver cat on the door," said Bast, pointing out the doors as they walked past, until they stopped at a set of double doors.

"This is where you'll be staying. Everything you need should be in there, I think, but let me know if you need something. If there aren't any questions, I'll leave you to it," said Bast, giving them a cheery wave before wandering off down the corridor again.

Pushing open the door, Severus saw that Bast had not been kidding when she said everything they could need was already in the room. There were two four poster beds in the room, each with a bedside table that had a pitcher of water, a lamp and even books neatly laid out. Neatly folded on the corner of each bed was a set of pyjamas.

After helping Harry change into the pyjamas on his bed, Severus quickly made his way over to his own bed. As he slipped on the over-sized pyjamas, they shrank to fit him. Climbing into the bed, he also discovered that the bed had been warmed.

Deciding that he had a lot of questions that needed answering tomorrow, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.


End file.
